1. Field of Invention
The current invention relates to non-invasive imaging systems and methods, and more particularly to imaging systems and methods that provide automatic segmentation of tissue structures in a human or animal subject in a non-invasive manner.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Radiological diagnosis is based on qualitative and subjective judgment. Even though quantitative analyses may significantly improve our ability to detect and characterize abnormalities, currently there are essentially no quantitative techniques accepted as a part of routine radiological diagnosis. This is partly due to difficulties in analyzing tissues based on radiological imaging, such as, for example, magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) images. For example, high quality segmentation of the brain boundary requires a considerable amount of manual labor. Further segmentation of, for example, the brain into substructures, takes even more time. Conventional automated programs for various types of tissue identification and segmentation only provide approximate results. This means, even a very basic image analysis such as the brain volume, can not be readily obtained quickly and automatically. Therefore, there remains a need for improved non-invasive imaging systems and methods.